“Trust your instincts,” Samberg said. “When we came in [as The Lonely Island], the thing that we did didn’t really seem like it would even necessarily fit into the show. But then we just did it anyway, because they encouraged us to do what we do, and it became a part of the show.”

He added:

“A trap people fall into is trying to reproduce what the show has done in the past. I was really lucky in the time that I came in that there were a lot of really innovative people working in the writing room and in the cast that sort of put their own spin on it.”

Andy Samberg joined Saturday Night Live as a featured play in September 2005. In December, he and Chris Parnell starred in “Lazy Sunday,” the second “Digital Short.” The video was positively received and is considered one of the best SNL moments of the 2000s. Samberg is also a member of the comedy troupe The Lonely Island, which includes Jorma Taccone and Akiva Schaffer. The group released their debut album, Incredibad, in 2009. The album included “I’m On a Boat,” “Jizz in my Pants,” and “Dick in a Box.”

Samberg remained a featured player until June 2012, when his spokesperson announced that he had left the show. Samberg has since starred in That’s My Boy, The Watch, and The To Do List. He also stars in the new Fox comedy Brooklyn Nine-Nine, opposite Andre Braugher. The series premieres Tuesday.